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Article
Publication date: 9 February 2024

Greg Richards

This study, a conceptual paper, analyses the growth of curation in tourism and hospitality and the curator role in selecting and framing products and experiences. It considers the…

Abstract

Purpose

This study, a conceptual paper, analyses the growth of curation in tourism and hospitality and the curator role in selecting and framing products and experiences. It considers the growth of expert, algorithmic, social and co-creative curation modes and their effects.

Design/methodology/approach

Narrative and integrative reviews of literature on curation and tourism and hospitality are used to develop a typology of curation and identify different curation modes.

Findings

Curational techniques are increasingly used to organise experience supply and distribution in mainstream fields, including media, retailing and fashion. In tourism and hospitality, curated tourism, curated hospitality brands and food offerings and place curation by destination marketing organisations are growing. Curation is undertaken by experts, algorithms and social groups and involves many of destination-related actors, producing a trend towards “hybrid curation” of places.

Research limitations/implications

Research is needed on different forms of curation, their differential effects and the power roles of different curational modes.

Practical implications

Curation is a widespread intermediary function in tourism and hospitality, supporting better consumer choice. New curators influence experience supply and the distribution of consumer attention, shaping markets and co-creative activities. Increased curatorial activity should stimulate aesthetic and stylistic innovation and provide the basis for storytelling and narrative in tourism and hospitality.

Originality/value

This is the first study of curational strategies in tourism and hospitality, providing a definition and typology of curation, and linking micro and macro levels of analysis. It suggests the growth of choice-based logic alongside service-dominant logic in tourism and hospitality.

Details

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, vol. 36 no. 13
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-6119

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 January 2024

Sylvester Senyo Horvey, Jones Odei-Mensah and Albert Mushai

Insurance companies play a significant role in every economy; hence, it is essential to investigate and understand the factors that propel their profitability. Unlike previous…

Abstract

Purpose

Insurance companies play a significant role in every economy; hence, it is essential to investigate and understand the factors that propel their profitability. Unlike previous studies that present a linear relationship, this study provides initial evidence by exploring the non-linear impacts of the determinants of profitability amongst life insurers in South Africa.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses a panel dataset of 62 life insurers in South Africa, covering 2013–2019. The generalised method of moments and the dynamic panel threshold estimation technique were used to estimate the relationship.

Findings

The empirical results from the direct relationship reveal that investment income and solvency significantly predict life insurance companies' profitability. On the other hand, underwriting risk, reinsurance and size reduce profitability. Further, the dynamic panel threshold analysis confirms non-linearities in the relationships. The results show that insurance size, investment income and solvency promote profitability beyond a threshold level, implying a propelling effect on life insurers' profitability at higher levels. Below the threshold, these factors have an adverse effect. The study further points to underwriting risk, reinsurance and leverage having a reduced effect on life insurers' profitability when they fall above the threshold level.

Practical implications

The findings suggest that insurers interested in boosting their profit position must commit more resources to maintain their solvency and manage their assets and returns on investment. The study further recommends that effective control of underwriting risk is critical to the profitability of the life insurance industry.

Originality/value

The study contributes to the literature by providing first-time evidence on the determinants of life insurance companies' profitability by way of exploring threshold effects in South Africa.

Details

International Journal of Emerging Markets, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1746-8809

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 10 October 2023

Fatma Bakal Gumus and Ahmet Yapici

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of doping element on the structural, thermal properties, mechanical performance and the failure mechanism of hexagonal nano…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of doping element on the structural, thermal properties, mechanical performance and the failure mechanism of hexagonal nano boron nitride (h-BN)-reinforced basalt fabric (BF)/epoxy composites produced by hand lay-up and vacuum bagging technique. h-BN particles doped to composite materials increased the tensile, bending and impact strength of the composite at certain rates while 1 Wt. % h- BN addition shows the highest tensile and flexural strength.

Design/methodology/approach

The epoxy resin was doped with h-BN nanopowder at the certain rates (0, 1, 2 and 4 Wt.%) and the epoxy: hardener ratios used in the study were selected as 80%: 20% by weight. Then, with the aid of a roller by hand lay-up method, a mixture of epoxy + hardeners containing nanoparticles and nanoparticle-free were fed onto BFs, 12 layers of each dimension 30 cm × 30 cm. The surplus epoxy resin was moved away from the composite sheets using the vacuum bagging process and left to cure at room temperature for 24 h. ASTM D3039 for tensile, D7264 for three-point bending and D256 for Izod impact test were performed for the mechanical tests. After the tensile test, the morphologies of the fracture surface were examined with a stereomicroscope and various failure mechanisms are highlighted.

Findings

In this study, a series of basalt/epoxy composites with h-BN nanopowders have been prepared to identify the effect of filler ratio on mechanical properties. It has been known from the results of mechanical experiments that the addition of h-BN improves the mechanical performance of materials at a certain rate. The tensile and flexural strengths of h-BN doped composites, increase for concentrations of 1 Wt.% h-BN, but decrease with the increasing content of it. The basalt/epoxy resin composite with higher mechanical properties could be a potential material in the automotive and aerospace industries.

Originality/value

The aim of this study is to contribute to literature within the context of this new combination of composites and their mechanical properties, failure mechanisms. It presents detailed characterization of each composite by using X-ray differaction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and scanning electron microscopy.

Details

Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, vol. 95 no. 10
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1748-8842

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 June 2023

João Fragoso Januário, Carlos Oliveira Cruz, Humberto Varum and Vítor Faria e Sousa

From the perspective of housing affordability, Portugal is an interesting case study, considering that Portugal ranks 5th in terms of price-to-income ratio and has experienced…

Abstract

Purpose

From the perspective of housing affordability, Portugal is an interesting case study, considering that Portugal ranks 5th in terms of price-to-income ratio and has experienced, since 2015, a significant increase in real estate prices.

Design/methodology/approach

The provision of housing is a critical social development factor. With the growing worldwide urbanization and the demand pressure over real estate in many cities, the problem of affordability has gained increase attention by policy makers. Housing affordability is hardly a new topic from a literature perspective, but the recent post-pandemic worldwide inflation growth has re-centered affordability as key topic in the housing agenda. This paper provides a comprehensive overview on past literature and a detailed analysis on the Portuguese market at the municipal level, by analyzing the changes in housing affordability in recent years.

Findings

Despite this growth, overall, affordability has improved. The study also shows the importance of municipal-level analysis, given the significant geographical differences. The authors' study confirms that many municipalities, outside metropolitan areas, exhibit low levels of affordability. Nevertheless, markets with higher average real estate values tend to exhibit even lower affordability, outpacing the higher levels of income.

Originality/value

Previous studies have focused on affordability issues on a national or highly aggregated level or focusing only on the two largest metropolitan areas in the country. This paper provides a deeper understanding on the inequalities of housing affordability between Portuguese municipalities.

Details

Property Management, vol. 41 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-7472

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 May 2023

Dheeraj Choppara, Alysia Garmulewicz and Joshua M. Pearce

This study aims to apply an open-source approach to protect the 3D printing industry from innovation stagnation due to broad patenting of obvious materials.

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to apply an open-source approach to protect the 3D printing industry from innovation stagnation due to broad patenting of obvious materials.

Design/methodology/approach

To do this, first an open-source implementation of the first five conditions of an open-source algorithm developed to identify all obvious 3-D printing materials was implemented in Python, and the compound combinations of two and three constituents were tested on ten natural and synthetic compounds. The time complexity for combinations composed of two constituents and three constituents is determined to be O(n2) and O(n3), respectively.

Findings

Generating all combinations of materials available on the Chemical Abstracts Services (CAS) registry on the fastest processor on the market will require at least 73.9 h for the latter, but as the number of constituents increases the time needed becomes prohibitive (e.g. 3 constituents is 1.65 million years). To demonstrate how machine learning (ML) could help prioritize both theoretical as well as experimental efforts a three-part biomaterial consisting of water, agar and glycerin was used as a case study. A decision tree model is trained with the experimental data and is used to fill in missing physical properties, including Young's modulus and yield strength, with 84.9 and 85.1% accuracy, respectively.

Originality/value

The results are promising for an open-source system that can theoretically generate all possible combinations of materials for 3-D printing that can then be used to identify suitable printing material for specific business cases based on desired material properties.

Details

Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, vol. 34 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-038X

Keywords

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